Surinder Sud: Wishful thinking?

FARM VIEW

That's what the goal of doubling horticultural production without adequate fund sounds like.

While the production of most field crops, especially cereals, has decelerated since the beginning of the 1990s, that of horticultural crops, notably fruits and vegetables, has accelerated.

Between 1991-92 and 2001-02, the output of fruits has spurted by 50.2 per cent, from 28.63 million tonnes to 43.11 million tonnes, and that of vegetables by 51.4 per cent, from 58.53 million tonnes to 88.62 million tonnes.

Significantly, the increase has come about as much by the rise in productivity as from expansion in acreage. The average yields of fruits have risen during this period by 7.5 per cent and that of vegetables by a handsome 37.6 per cent.

Perhaps that was perhaps why Finance Minister P Chidambaram had proposed the setting up of a National Horticulture Mission in his Budget last year (presented on July 8, 2004) to prompt farmers to diversify into horticulture.

He set for this mission the goal of doubling horticultural production (including fruits, vegetables, spices and others products) from the current 150 million tonnes to 300 million tonnes by 2011-12. But no specific funding was mooted for this mission.

However, in his 2005-06 Budget speech on February 28, the finance minister has been more specific and announced that the proposed mission would be launched on April 1, 2005, with a budgetary support of Rs 630 crore for next fiscal.

The mission would have an end-to-end approach with backward and forward linkages covering research, production, post-harvest management, processing and marketing under one umbrella.

No doubt, Chidambaram mentioned that more funds would be provided as the mission gathered pace, but the initial allocation does not inspire much confidence in the mission's ability to meet the formidable target of doubling the output by 2011-12.

For, the proposal containing details of the mission sent by the agriculture ministry for the Cabinet's clearance has indicated the minimum requirement of funds for 2005-06 at Rs 2,015 crore.

The actual allocation is far less than even one-third of the requirement!

Even if we assume that the finance minister will hike the allocation in 2006-07, it seems unlikely that the shortfall of Rs 1,385 crore in funds could be fully made up. For, the 2006-07 requirement alone has been projected by the ministry at a far higher level of Rs 3,015 crore and to cover the backlog, the minister would have to allocate about Rs 4,400 crore.

Indeed, what needs to be realised is that the proposed mission will have to take up several tasks simultaneously so as to achieve the ultimate objective. Even a single weak link in the entire chain "" beginning from the seeding material of the desired quality fruits and vegetables, to post-harvest handling, marketing and processing of the produce "" will be enough to jeopardise the end result.

The broad areas for the mission to concentrate on include research on all aspects of horticulture; actual development work in the field; ensuring post-harvest management and marketing; and facilitating processing and value-addition.

Considering the gigantic dimensions of the task, the agriculture ministry has worked out an elaborate structure. At a national level, the mission will have a general council headed by the agriculture minister.

It will have as members the ministers and secretaries in the ministries of food processing industries, small-scale industries, rural development, science and technology, and finance.

Representatives of growers, processors, apex trade and industry bodies like FICCI and CII and subject matter experts are also proposed to be inducted in the council of members. The executive committee will be headed by the agriculture secretary and have secretaries of various other ministers as members.

At the state level, there will be state horticulture missions with almost similar membership structure as at the Centre. The executive committees of state missions will be headed by either the chief secretary or the agriculture production commissioner.

The actual implementation of work will be entrusted to district-level committees under the chairmanship of district collectors.

A technical support group is also proposed to be constituted to guide as well as assist the mission. This group will have freedom and flexible norms for recruiting professionals on contractual basis to generate technical inputs.

Indeed, the agriculture ministry has already brought all these details to the Planning Commission's notice. The queries raised by the latter have also been replied to. Besides, a presentation on the mission was made to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in November last year.

All these, undoubtedly, are positive indications that the mission will finally come into being. But what still remains doubtful is whether it will be able to achieve its objectives in the stipulated time frame with inadequate funding support.